But he arrived wearing a pink Polo shirt and white tennis shoes -- not exactly the kind of look that draws a "Howdy, cowboy" reaction. Imagine a young man from Dallas showing up at Oktoberfest in cowboy boots and jeans instead of lederhosen.

His colleagues still poke fun at his wardrobe choice that day, but not the final product. The redesigned 2009 Ram 1500 interior won awards, and Busse became known as one of Chrysler's most talented designers.

Some also questioned another, far more important, choice that Busse made. In 2007, he stayed at Chrysler after Daimler sold the company to Cerberus Capital Management instead of returning home to Germany.

"A lot of people thought I was flat-out stupid, including my wife's parents," Busse said. "Throwing away a career at Mercedes for what seemed to be a sinking ship here at Chrysler."

Busse had just spent three years working on the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Chrysler 300 and the Ram pickup. He wanted to see those projects through to completion.

He also liked the open, collaborative corporate culture at Chrysler.

"It was the right decision," Busse said. "It does help, of course that my family likes living here in Michigan, too. My wife was very happy with the lifestyle she has here and the friendships she has."

Busse said he and his wife, Anja, fell in love with the Great Lakes during the summer and the snow in the winter.

"We love to be outdoors," Busse said. "I don't mind having the winter ... in Germany, winter is usually pretty miserable with just rain and fog."

His three favorite spots in Michigan to visit with his wife and three sons?

• Leland, where the pace of life is slower compared with his work life.

• A small lake about two miles south of Sleeping Bear Dunes.

• Holland State Park for the day followed by dinner in Saugatuck.

Busse said he deliberately bought a modest home in Orion Township, partly because he thought he would be at Chrysler for only two years and because he wanted to experience life in an American suburb.

"We wanted to have the suburban life with a sidewalk, the basketball hoop in the driveway -- the things we only knew from the TV shows," he said.

Today, Busse is head of interior design for Chrysler. After his boss, Ralph Gilles, Busse has become Chrysler's most highly regarded designer.

"In the last three to four years, Chrysler has turned out some of the best interiors it has ever made," said Aaron Bragman, Detroit bureau chief for Cars.com. "It is extraordinary how bad they were, and how good they now are."

Staying with Chrysler as it crashed through Chapter 11 bankruptcy was not a choice free of second thoughts. Yet fighting for survival changes one's outlook.

Busse was named head of interior design in June 2009 just as Chrysler exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

With Fiat in control of Chrysler, Busse and his interior team revamped the interiors of 16 cars and trucks in 18 months. There wasn't time for second-guessing. People learned to trust their instincts and each other.

"Going through the bankruptcy process is what enabled us to take on all the work that was ahead," Busse said.

Last year, industry analysts gave Busse's team high marks for the interior of the Dodge Dart, especially a distinctive seven-inch cluster to display speed, mileage, fuel levels and other information.

Busse said a large, egg-shaped cluster was possible because engineers were more willing to listen to designers.

"In the past we would get a black box and try to design around it, and it looks out of place," Busse said. "Now, technology is really part of the design."

More recently, the interior design crew tweaked the inside of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

After first looking to the fashion world for inspiration for the colors and materials, Busse's team chose more permanent and lasting color themes for the premium Overland Summit packages: The rich copper colors of the Grand Canyon and explosions from Mt. Vesuvius.

"We know that Jeep owners -- they love to travel, they love adventure," Busse said. "So, we needed to look at something that is No. 1, timeless and No. 2, speaks to Jeep."

For the interior inspired by the volcanic explosion of Mt. Vesuvius the design team used various shades of gray and blue along with white piping around the edges of seats.

"That is something that we saw in that scenery and that is something that we probably would not have come up with on our own," he said.

Could those same adventurous landscapes set the stage for the interior of the upcoming Jeep Liberty SUV?

"With the feedback we are getting right now on the Grand Cherokee ... I think there is something to be learned for future Jeep models," Busse said.